Josh Jamison's Blog Here are some of my thoughts, questions and things I have found helpful in my journey. Enjoy-

Spatial Awareness: The perception of ones-self in context of other peoples, places and or things around them. Simply put, it's your ability to be aware of yourself and the things going on around you.

You have, no doubt, had at least one encounter with a spatial unaware person in your life.

Maybe you, yourself are a self-admitted spacial inept individual. (If so, I commend you on your honesty) I am guessing some of the first thoughts that come to your mind are similar to the ones that I have encountered. Bad drivers.

Not just people who don't understand the concepts of driving etiquette, but more so the people who struggle to see and understand what is happening around them while they are driving. I.E. People who do not speed up or slow down to allow someone who has a blinker on to merge, people who change lanes too closely to other cars, people who basically have no awareness of the needs and safety of those around them.

I am sure, I too have frustrated other drivers at times, so don't think this is a self-righteous post. Just simply an observation.

I have also come to the conclusion that people who tend to be poor drivers, tend to also be poor walkers. You know what I am talking about: the people at the mall or the grocery store who walk slowly down the middle of the isle, making passing or proceeding at your own comfortable pace impossible. They step where you need to step, they walk at a pace that inhibits your ability to get where you need to go and yet they have no clue that they are causing such a problem for you.

I am guessing as you are reading this, memories of such spatial unaware people are flooding back to you and no doubt causing your blood pressure to rise and the frustration to return. Take a deep breath. It's all good.

The truth is we can be frustrated with poor drivers and walkers, but we ourselves as Christians have become a "spatially unaware" people.

Our ability to perceive and understand what people are going through around us, and especially, our desire to do something about it has grown dormant, or even non-existent.

This is not to say we don't care or want to make a difference, but desire or intention are much different than action.

This idea came into greater light yesterday during a discussion with our interns.

We were looking ahead at 2010, brainstorming and dreaming about reaching our community and the people in our surrounding region who have yet to come to know the life changing relationship found in Jesus.

As ideas began to be tossed around I was suddenly confronted with a scary reality.

I realized that our default thinking of "outreach" was in the context of providing opportunities and events that would be a good enough cause for people to come to our building.

Call me crazy, but this idea of "spatial awareness" came flooding to my mind.

Have we become so spatially unaware as The Church that we have lost touch with the true needs of our community, resorting to "come to us" outreach, instead of being willing to roll up our sleeves and get out there and do a little work to actually meet the needs of our community IN our community?

Let's make 2010 less about services and events (without neglecting them or diminishing their importance) and more about becoming more aware of the needs of those next door, down the street and in our communities. Let us be a "spatially aware" church that does more than open our doors, let's get out and begin to actually "reach-out" to those God has put around us-

Just a thought-

Josh

(feel free to leave your comments or thoughts below)